The three studio albums by SL Theory are all the work of one man, multi-instrumentalist Sotiris Lagonikas. But on this release, he has restricted himself to just one instrument, drums, and is part of a six-man band, to which he has added an additional four singers on top of lead singer Mike Karasoulis, and a string orchestra. Recorded live on March 3rd2017, the band can be seen to be surrounding the ten-piece string section (conducted by Yiannis Antonopoulos), and with 21 people on the stage, it must have been quite some spectacle.
The vast majority of the material is taken from the three albums, but there were also a few new pieces written which were performed that night. The strings are playing live what was layered keyboards before, adding an additional lightness and quality. Karasoulis has an emotional voice, and here he is able to work either completely solo, duetting or to pitch himself in as part of the harmonies. There are a real confidence and sense of aplomb and achievement with this release, with the band and strings working fully together as one. Obviously, this is not the first time this has been tried, but here it really works as the style of progressive rock/metal definitely fits in well. When the band wants to crunch then they go for it, but when they want to be acoustic and gentle then the string overlay is quite sublime.
Heavy, symphonic, majestic, bombastic, this may be a dark album in many ways, but there are plenty of contrasts and delights over this two-disc, 20 songs, 104-minute long set. ‘Progressively Dark: A Concert For Group & String Orchestra’ is a great introduction to the music of Sotiris Lagonikas, and it will be fascinating to see what comes next. Well worth investigating for all progheads into the heavier side.
SL Theory release the long-awaited live album Progressively Dark (A Concert For A Group & String Orchestra) today via Melodic Revolution Records
Drummer Sotiris Lagonikas (What’s The Buzz? / Double Treat) formed musical project SL Theory, followed by the release of debut album titled “SL Theory – I”, the band has grown to a 10 – member musical force with the addition of Mike Karasoulis (Dakrya / Double Treat) on lead vocals, Alex Flouros (Seduce The Heaven / Fragile Vastness / What’s The Buzz?) and Giannis Nigdelis (Double Treat) on the guitars, Manos Gavalas (Sound Of Silence / Airged Lamh / Noely Rayn) on keyboards, Chris Kollias (Seduce The Heaven / Persona Non Grata) on bass guitar, as well as Christina Alexiou, Alexandros Louziotis, Kandia Bouzioti and Margarita Papadimitriou on backing vocals.
The extended heavy prog band, along with a classical string orchestra conducted by Maestro Yiannis Antonopoulos, presented, recorded and filmed Live in Athens,Greece on Friday, March 3rd, 2017 at Passport Keramikos, the complete album of Sotiris Lagonikas, titled “Progressively Dark” (2012), as well as songs out of the albums “SL Theory – I” (2009) and “Different Space Different Time” (2014) and a few brand new, unreleased songs written by G.Nigdelis/S. Lagonikas, in a unique dark-prog and heavy rock audio-visual show that is finally available as a Double CD & Hi-quality Digital Album the concert was also filmed and is also available on DVD.
Release Details Lead vocals: Mike Karasoulis
Guitars: Yiannis Nigdelis / Alex Flouros
Bass: Chris Kollias
Keyboards: Manos Gavalas
Drums: Sotiris Lagonikas
Backing vocals: Alexandros Louziotis / Margarita Papadimitriou / Kandia Bouzioti / Christina Alexiou
Music & Lyrics by Sotiris Lagonikas Sound Engineer: Manos Backline Soundflakes Studio Mix: Nick Papadopoulos
Lighting Director/ Video 3D mapping: Andreas Kourtis / Giannis Kalogridis / Panagiotis Tsevrenis Video
Filmed by Fotis “Ingie” Papatheodorou & Panagiotis Maidis
Video Edited by Chris Tsoukalas
Filmed live on location on March 3rd, 2017 at Passport Keramikos
Release Date: June 30th, 2018
CD Catalog No. MRRCD-22154
DVD Catalog No. MRRDVD-002
Label: Melodic Revolution Records
Format: Double CD, Hi-Resolution Digital & DVD
CD & Digital Album
Disc 1 Orchestra Set
1. Sickening My Mind 04:37
2. Holding Tight 07:19
3. Ghostly Train 04:37
4. On My Way 05:23
5. See 04:50
6. If Only 05:50
7. Time Won’t Matter 06:19
8. Need To Be Born Again 04:57
9. Goodbye, Sail On 04:57
10. Where is My Life 05:51
11. Afterlife 05:25
CD Disc 2 Band Set
12. Saints n’ Sinners 04:38
13. Now 04:42
14. Two Kings 03:38
15. The Beat of My Heart 04:15
16. It Hurts 04:01
17. Next Life 06:11
18. Real World 04:47
19. Counting My Pieces 04:15
20. Supersonic Rocket Man 07:07
Video from LIVE double album and DVD
DVD
Orchestra Set 1-11 Band Set 12 -20
1. Sickening My Mind 04:37
2. Holding Tight 07:19
3. Ghostly Train 04:37
4. On My Way 05:23
5. See 04:50
6. If Only 05:50
7. Time Won’t Matter 06:19
8. Need To Be Born Again 04:57
9. Goodbye, Sail On 04:57
10. Where is My Life 05:51
11. Afterlife 05:25 12. Saints n’ Sinners 04:38
13. Now 04:42
14. Two Kings 03:38
15. The Beat of My Heart 04:15
16. It Hurts 04:01
17. Next Life 06:11
18. Real World 04:47
19. Counting My Pieces 04:15
20. Supersonic Rocket Man 07:07
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
